Exhortation Station

1 Peter 5:5 — “…Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for Elohim is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

The Scriptures are full of warnings against pride and encouragements toward humility…but how can we actively walk out humility?  Humility could perhaps be viewed as the opposite of pride, but how does that concept translate into practical action?  In this post, I’d like to share a thought that has been helpful to me on this front. 

Let’s get right to it point.  The thought is this:  When tempted to be prideful, be thankful instead.  

The Bible is full of admonishments to give thanks.  The phrase “give thanks” (or a variation of it) is found over 80 times in the Bible.

1 Chronicles 16:34 — “O give thanks to YHWH, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

Psalm 97:12 — “Be glad in YHWH, you righteous ones, And give thanks to His holy name.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 — “Rejoice always; ¹⁷ pray without ceasing; ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is Elohims’s will for you in Messiah Yahshua.”

Thankfulness is a powerful weapon against pride.  When confronted with pride, thankfulness provides us with a tangible, actionable way to redirect our thoughts toward things that bless, honor, and glorify our Father in Heaven.

This touches on something I’ve had on my heart to discuss.  That is, that I believe it’s misguided to think being humble means we should not savor our accomplishments.  Of course, if our personal accomplishments are all we ever think about, we may need to do a heart check, but the Scriptures do not say it is wrong to enjoy our successes.  The important thing is that our enjoyment be in the proper context…and that’s where thankfulness comes in!  Thankfulness allows us to richly enjoy our successes, talents, accomplishments, etc., all the while keeping them in the context of Yah’s sovereignty in our lives.

For example:  Let’s say someone named Bob is tempted to boast to himself about a promotion he just got at work.  Rather than merely trying to stop thinking about his promotion in an attempt to “banish pride by brute force,” Bob puts thankfulness into action.  Bob says in his heart, “Thank you, Father, for this promotion I recently received at work.  You have abundantly supplied all my needs, and I am grateful for Your provision.  Thank You for giving me favor in the eyes of my employers, and thank You for this opportunity to shine Your light in new ways as I step up to this position of greater leadership.  Glory be to You, Father!”

Of course, it need not be that eloquent, but you get the point.  Do you see in this example how thankfulness allowed Bob to savor his accomplishments without indulging in even a hint of boastfulness?  The very thing that the enemy tried to use to tempt Bob into exalting himself, Bob instead used to give praise to the Father.  That’s a victory won if you ask me!

On a slightly different but related note, thankfulness is also a way to make a bold statement of our trust in Yahweh.  It always encourages me when I see someone going through a tough trial who is not only pressing on, but even thanking and praising Yahweh through it all.  James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  What a way to proclaim our devotion to the Father!

Let’s conclude with Jeremiah chapter 9.

Jeremiah 9:23,24 — “Thus says YHWH, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; ²⁴ but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am YHWH who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares YHWH.”

If we are to boast, may it be in the form of overflowing thankfulness to Yahweh for His lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness.  Let’s make outspoken thankfulness a hallmark of our walk with Yah.  When tempted to become proud, let’s be thankful instead!

Hebrews 13:15 — “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to Elohim, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.“

(All Bible passages NASB; Hebrew transl. added.)